Comments Off on Sephora Melting Cleansing Balm Review
hihi everyone, I hope all is well, Autumn has arrived in the UK after a very cold & brief summer lol
Today I’m talking about the melting cleansing balm from Sephora. This one promises to remove even waterproof stubborn makeup and oils and dirt from the skin.
Experience
oh gosh I havent used a bad cleansing balm in a while. This balm just isn’t it. Firstly it doesn’t spread easily across the face and it struggles against makeup, even just everyday simple makeup. Against mascara and waterproof mascara you need a few good rubs to remove them and even after that it doesn’t completely remove waterproof mascara. It does emulsify well I have to give it that but that’s just about it
Verdict
I’ve really tried to stick with it and to finish it but its a massive tub and I just cant anymore lool. Its not a good cleansing balm period, I’m going to have to throw this one away.
Comments Off on SupraFade Hyperpigmentation Review
hihi everyone, I hope all is well. Today I have a full review of the Supradafe hyperpigmentation serum I finished last month
Suprafade is the first product from HUE, a black owned skincare brand based in the UK. The promise is “A serum formulated with 7 active ingredients and antioxidants working synergistically to target the signs and causes of hyperpigmentation, discolouration and dullness. Engineered to be gentle enough for nightly use, our formula starts working in as little as two weeks. To ensure maximum efficacy and results, we always use ingredients at their active level. “
Experience
I introduced this to my routine on 9/6 very slowly. In the first week I used it once then twice in the 2nd week- I do this to prevent any irritation when starting new products. I started using nightly from 23/6. I finished the product 20/8. I experienced no issues with the serum.
Suprafade has no noticeable scent and I didnt find it particularly hydrating. It layers well with other serums with no pilling and works well with retinol ( I use MEdik8’s r-Retinoate® Intense) and acids with no issue
The serum has really big claims, on the website they claim: In a consumer study, participants agreed that there was a dramatic improvement in hyperpigmentation within 6 weeks. 2 weeks- 80% agreed skin tone was more even. 4 weeks- dark spots were obviously reduced. 6 weeks- complexion was significantly more even
For me the experience was very different, by 4 week I couldn’t really tell if my dark spots were fading or not, infact by the time I finished the bottle I was still on the fence. June to Aug were bad skin months for me, I had a lot of texture and spots that led to new hyperpigmentation. I’m not sure if the serum helped deal with that. I had 2 old spots I really wanted to target with the serum and to me they dont look any better.
Mark 1 is an old hyperpigmentation spot Ive been trying to get rid of and it was what I wanted Hue to target. I can barely tell the difference by the 20th when I finished the serum. Mark 2 looks slightly better but 3 is also confusing, Im not sure if there was any improvement. Other areas of my face are also the same I can barely see a difference.
I do like the texture of the serum, its very lightweight and it pairs well with other products. Whilst its not the most hydrating serum out there it is ok. I also like the pump jar it came in.
Verdict
To be totally honest, I’m disappointed with the serum. I saw so many good reviews and improvements from other people but I really cant tell if the serum did anything for me. I did have bad skin this summer as I have new pigmentation spots to treat but I wanted the serum to target older spots I had. Side by side pictures tell me there was hardly any improvements. the newer pigmentation spots look slightly improved? Im not even sure
Will I repurchase? Honestly I did consider it because perhaps I needed more time with it? however after 8 weeks of daily use and not seeing major improvements, I didn’t want to spend another £52 on it plus shipping. I wont repurchase.
If you want to check out Suprafade, check the website here
Comments Off on AXIS-Y Dark Spot Correcting Glow Serum Review
hihi everyone, I hope all is well. Today I have a full review on the Axis Y Dark spot serum I have been using for the last 2 months
This serum is described as rich in several brighthening ingredients (like niacinamide and sea bucktorn) and will help to improve the overall complexion of the skin. As the packaging comes with a pump dispenser, the serum is easily to dose and therefore also easy to use. On top of niacinamide, you will find here plant-derived squalane. It makes skin soft and supple without greasiness or stickiness. Rice which is rich in over 100 types of antioxidants like vitamin E and ferulic acid and omega fatty acids will fight free radicals and bring anti-ageing properties. The serum contains also calendula, a wound healing plant extract containing flavanoids that have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant abilities. Finally, sea bucktorn, rich in vitamin C, omega 3, 6 and 9 and many antioxidants, calms down inflammation, boosts hydration, and is known for its soothing, protective abilities. Suitable for all skin types, including acne-prone and sensitive skin.
Experience
I was been using this serum from the 6/4 to the 8/6 in my nightly routine. It is a lightweight watery serum that sinks into the skin with ease. I have no irritation with it. It has a mild scent but nothing offensive, its almost herbal but doesn’t linger too longer. It doesn’t pill with other products and it pairs well with other active like acids and retinols. It doesn’t leave a sticky residue
I find this serum hydrating which was surprising to me because Niacinamide usually dries out my skin, usually at 10% conc so I can only use it for a few days at a time. I think this works well for my skin because its at 5% and paired with other hydrating and soothing ingredients. For this I like it however for the main reason why I got it, I don’t find it effective
This serum claims to be an effective dark spot correcting serum which is my main reason for purchasing. I am very prone to and suffer from hyperpigmentation. Did this serum fade any dark spots? NO. it did absolutely nothing to them! I have a patch on my cheek that remained the same through out! Did it leave my skin glowing? Somewhat, my overall complexion was healthier but I cant say its due to this serum only but a combo of this and the Ramsou 100% bifida. You can read my full review here
Verdict
If you suffer from hyperpigmentation, this is NOT the serum you would get to tackle it, if you were very serious about fading it. To be totally honest I got this because of its popularity and whilst I’m not 100% disappointed with it, I really wont recommend it for hyperpigmentation. I really like its hydrating & soothing properties, and I like its packed with antioxidants and does really well with other actives. I also like the 5% niacinamide and the fact that I can use it regularly without drying me out.
Will I repurchase this again, solely to treat pigmentation-NO. I do however have a mini travel size version that I will use on trips because of the hydration and soothing properties
I purchased mine from Stylevana but if you know their shipping takes SO LONG! I don’t recommend you get it from there. its only £3 more on Amazon and you can get it on prime so it comes literally the next day. Its really frustrating shopping on SV because even though items say shipped within 24hrs, it can actually take up to 10 days to ship then another 10-15 days to get the items! sigh. I made another order on 24th May, as of 14June its not here!
Thats all folks! I started using Suprafade this month and I really cant wait to share those results with you!
Comments Off on RAMOSU – Bifida Ferment Lysate 100 Review
hihi everyone, today’s post will be a full review on the Ramosu 100 Bifida ampoules I got from Stylevana. If you want to see the other items I picked up, read that post here
I wanted to experiment with k beauty dupes for the Estee Lauder ANR serum. I absolutely LOVE the ANR serum, its pricey but its so worth it! I usually bulk buy it when they do their buy 1 get 1 free promotion but the problem is they haven’t done this in 2 years and my stash is down to the last 1, sigh. I worked it out that they run this promotion when they update the ingredient list so that they can quickly get rid of the old stock. the last update I feel was 2022 when they did the promotion.
Anyways the promotion hasn’t be run in the last 2 years so I decided to find some k beauty dupes I can use whilst waiting for the promotion to come back or a really good offer on. Estee Lauder do have some great offers from time to time so really its only a matter of time LOOL.
Criteria for Estee Lauder ANR dupes
This is the current full ingredient list for the ANR, what I am looking for in a dupe is something as close to this OR has the key ingredients I have put in bold, but the main ingredient I look for in dupes is the Bifida Ferment Lysate since its the 2nd ingredient in ANR therefore in high conc
It is well known that k beauty have a lot of products with Bifida Ferment Lysate in them so I turned to the k beauty world for dupes. I picked up 3 for my 1st round of testing and I started with the RAMOSU – Bifida Ferment Lysate 100.
RAMOSU – Bifida Ferment Lysate 100 – this is a 100% pure bifida ferment ampoule with nothing else added to it. I had never heard of the brand Ramosu until browsing on Stylevana and I got it because it was on clearance. You get 5x10ml bottles, I have finished 3 so far out of 5. This ampoule promises a special skin feeling in 28 days
Experience
This was an easy addition to my skincare routine, it layers well with other products and pairs well with other actives. I have used it with high strength retinol, acids, peptides with no irritation. I started using this on the 20th of March after I had just finished a bottle of ANR. I finished a 3rd bottle of the Ramosu on the 2nd of May before taking a 1 week break to use ANR then back to Ramosu.
Is it similar to ANR? In terms of ingredients, this product only has the bifida ferment so its lacking the benefits of other ingredients in a well rounded serum. To combat this I just layered other products with some of the ingredients in ANR e.g peptides, glycerin etc. The serum itself is not hydrating.
Results: I think that the ampoule has helped maintain a healthy glowing complexion like ANR but I can see a difference. ANR makes my skin feel smooth, soft and radiant and the results are literally overnight. I just didn’t get that from this. In the pictures and ignore my spot treatments, I feel like there is a slight difference in terms radiance and feeling of my skin. My skin looks great but I can feel the difference
Verdict
Is it a dupe for ANR? Well it has the main ingredient which is the bifida however the lack of other ingredients means you are not getting full benefits so I would say its not a dupe.
Is it a great product? absolutely, if you are the type to layer on skincare then the lack of other ingredients wont bother you so much because you will be getting them elsewhere. The only time this was annoying was when I wanted a lazy pm routine, the lack of hydration from ramosu meant I couldn’t just use this plus a cream because it wont be enough
Do I recommend it: yes and no- yes because for the price you pay for 100% bifida its amazing, its well packaged and it actually leaves the skin great but no because there are no many other dupes that are well rounded in ingredients and may work better.
Bottomline: it doesnt hurt to try this, its £10 for 50ml but it is not a dupe for ANR. Get it to try as a product because you want to experiment with bifida but not as a dupe for ANR
I have 20ml left of this to use up then its onto the next dupe!
